Camera module including liquid lens

ABSTRACT

Provided is a camera module including a liquid lens including an electrode; a holder for receiving the liquid lens therein; a base disposed under the holder; a sensor board disposed under the base and including an image sensor; a connection board connected to at least a portion of the electrode of the liquid lens; and a terminal plate disposed at the base and electrically connected to the sensor board and the connection board.

TECHNICAL FIELD

Embodiments relate to a camera module, and more particularly to a cameramodule including a liquid lens and an optical device including the same.

BACKGROUND ART

People who use portable devices demand optical devices that have highresolution, are small, and have various photographing functions (anautofocus (AF) function, a hand-tremor compensation or optical imagestabilization (OIS) function, etc.). Such photographing functions may berealized by directly moving a plurality of lenses that are combined. Inthe case in which the number of lenses is increased, however, the sizeof an optical device may be increased.

The autofocus and hand-tremor compensation functions are performed bytilting or moving a lens module including a plurality of lenses, whichare fixed to a lens holder in the state in which the optical axes of thelenses are aligned, along the optical axis or in a directionperpendicular to the optical axis. An additional lens-moving apparatusis used to move the lens module. However, the lens-moving apparatusconsumes a lot of power, requires driving members, such as magnets andcoils, to move the lens module, and requires extra space correspondingto the moving range of the lens module in order to move the lens module,thus leading to an increase in the overall thickness of a camera moduleand an optical device.

Therefore, research has been conducted on a liquid lens configured toelectrically adjust the curvature of an interface between two kinds ofliquid in order to perform autofocus and hand-tremor compensationfunctions.

DISCLOSURE Technical Problem

Embodiments provide a camera module including a liquid lens and anoptical device, in which electrical bonding between a liquid lens and asensor board is conveniently realized without being influenced by amanufacturing tolerance of a connection board or the gap between aholder and a base.

Embodiments provide a camera module including a liquid lens and anoptical device, in which a connection board is easily bent andconveniently bonded to another element, and is prevented from beingdamaged by stress.

Embodiments provide a camera module including a liquid lens and anoptical device, in which a connection board, connected to an electrode,is prevented from lifting upwards or downwards.

Technical Solution

In one embodiment, a camera module may include a liquid lens includingan electrode, a holder accommodating the liquid lens therein, a basedisposed under the holder, a sensor board disposed under the base, thesensor board including an image sensor, a connection board connected toat least a portion of the electrode of the liquid lens, and a terminalplate disposed at the base, the terminal plate being electricallyconnected to the sensor board and the connection board.

The liquid lens may include a first plate including a cavity formedtherein to accommodate a first liquid, which is conductive, and a secondliquid, which is non-conductive, therein, a second plate disposed on thefirst plate, and a third plate disposed under the first plate. Theelectrode may include a first electrode disposed on the first plate, anda second electrode disposed under the first plate.

The connection board may be disposed so as to be electrically connectedto the first electrode or the second electrode of the liquid lens. Oneside of the terminal plate may be coupled to a lower portion of theconnection board, and the opposite side of the terminal plate may becoupled to the sensor board.

The connection board may include a horizontal plate disposed at aposition corresponding to the first electrode or the second electrode, avertical plate coupled to the terminal plate, the vertical plate beingdisposed at a position corresponding to a side surface of the liquidlens, and a connection plate disposed between the horizontal plate andthe vertical plate.

The connection plate may include a bent region and may connect thehorizontal plate and the vertical plate to each other, and theconnection board may further include a concave portion recessed in thebent region.

The width of the connection plate may gradually decrease from thehorizontal plate to the vertical plate.

The concave portion may be disposed at each of opposite sides of thebent region.

The vertical plate may have a width smaller than the width of theterminal plate, and may have a vertical length to cover at least aportion of an upper region of the terminal plate.

In another embodiment, a camera module may include a liquid lensincluding an electrode, a holder accommodating the liquid lens therein,a sensor board disposed under the holder, the sensor board including animage sensor and a terminal, and a connection board connected to theelectrode of the liquid lens, the connection board being bent downwardsso as to be electrically connected to the terminal of the sensor board,the connection board including a horizontal plate disposed at a positioncorresponding to the electrode of the liquid lens, a vertical platedisposed at a position corresponding to a side surface of the liquidlens, a connection plate bent between the horizontal plate and thevertical plate, and a reinforcing pad disposed on at least one of thehorizontal plate or the vertical plate, the reinforcing pad havingstiffness greater than the stiffness of the connection plate.

The reinforcing pad may be coupled to a lower portion of the horizontalplate or to an inner side of the vertical plate.

Advantageous Effects

In a camera module including a liquid lens and an optical deviceaccording to embodiments, since a connection board and a terminal plateare electrically coupled to each other, the electrical connectionbetween a liquid lens and a sensor board may be more convenientlyrealized without being influenced by a manufacturing tolerance of theconnection board or the coupling gap between a holder and a base.

In addition, the connection board may include a concave portion, so thatthe connection board may be more easily bent and conveniently bonded tothe terminal plate, and may be prevented from being damaged by stress.

In addition, the connection board may include a lifting preventionportion, so that the connection board, connected to an electrode, may beprevented from lifting upwards or downwards.

DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a view showing a first example of a camera module,

FIG. 2 is a view showing the cross-section of a liquid lens of thecamera module shown in FIG. 1,

FIG. 3 is a view showing one example of electrically bonding a terminalto a connection board in the camera module,

FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view showing the process of couplingthe connection board to a terminal plate shown in FIG. 1,

FIGS. 5 to 7 are front views showing the coupled state of the connectionboard and the terminal plate according to a second example, a thirdexample, and a fourth example of the camera module, and

FIGS. 8 and 9 are views showing examples of the connection boardincluding a lifting prevention portion.

BEST MODE

Hereinafter, embodiments for accomplishing the aforementioned objectswill be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

In the following description of the embodiments, it will be understoodthat, when each element is referred to as being “on” or “under” anotherelement, it can be “directly” on or under another element or can be“indirectly” formed such that an intervening element is also present. Inaddition, when an element is referred to as being “on” or “under”,“under the element” as well as “on the element” may be included based onthe element.

FIG. 1 is a view of one example of a camera module. The camera modulemay include a lens assembly 1000 and a control circuit 2000.

The lens assembly 1000 may include a liquid lens and/or a solid lens.The liquid lens may include a liquid, a plate, and an electrode. Theliquid may include a conductive liquid and a non-conductive liquid, andthe electrode may be disposed on or under the plate. In addition, theelectrode may include a common terminal and a plurality of individualterminals. The common terminal may be single in number, and theindividual terminal may be plural in number. The plate may include afirst plate, which includes a cavity in which the liquid is disposed,and may further include a second plate, which is disposed on or underthe first plate. In addition, the liquid lens may further include athird plate, and the first plate may be disposed between the secondplate and the third plate. The shape of the interface formed between theconductive liquid and the non-conductive liquid may be changed inresponse to the driving voltage applied between the common terminal andeach of the individual terminals, and accordingly the focal length maybe changed. The control circuit 2000 may supply a driving voltage to theliquid lens, and may be disposed on a sensor board 800 on which an imagesensor is disposed. The camera module may further include a connector3000. The connector 3000 may be connected to the control circuit 2000via a connection part 3500, and may electrically connect the controlcircuit 2000 to an external power source or other devices.

The configuration of the control circuit 2000 may be designeddifferently in accordance with the specifications required for aphotography device. In particular, in order to reduce the intensity ofthe operating voltage to be applied to the lens assembly 1000, thecontrol circuit 2000 may be implemented as a single chip. As a result,it is possible to further reduce the size of the camera module that ismounted in a portable device.

The lens assembly 1000 may include a first lens unit 100, a second lensunit 400, a liquid lens 300, a holder 500, and a cover 600. Any one ofthe first lens unit 100 and the second lens unit 400 may be omitted.

The illustrated structure of the lens assembly 1000 is just one example,and the structure of the lens assembly 1000 may be changed depending onthe specifications required for the camera module.

The first lens unit 100 may be disposed at the front side of the lensassembly 1000, and may receive light incident thereon from the outsideof the lens assembly 1000. The first lens unit 100 may be constituted byat least one lens, or two or more lenses may be aligned along a centeraxis to form an optical system. Here, the center axis may be the same asthe optical axis of the optical system.

The first lens unit 100 may be constituted by two lenses. However, thedisclosure is not limited thereto.

An exposure lens (not shown) may be provided on the front surface of thefirst lens unit 100, and a cover glass may be disposed in front of theexposure lens. The exposure lens may protrude so as to be exposed to theoutside of the holder 500, and thus the surface thereof may be damaged.If the surface of the lens is damaged, the quality of the image capturedby the camera module may be deteriorated. In order to prevent orminimize damage to the surface of the exposure lens, a method ofdisposing a cover glass, a method of forming a coating layer, or amethod of forming the exposure lens using a wear-resistant material forpreventing damage to the surface of the exposure lens may be applied.

The second lens unit 400 may be disposed at the rear of the first lensunit 100 and the liquid lens 300, and the light incident on the firstlens unit 100 from the outside may pass through the liquid lens 300 andmay be incident on the second lens unit 400. The second lens unit 400may be spaced apart from the first lens unit 100 and may be disposed ina through-hole formed in the holder 500. The second lens unit 400 may beconstituted by at least one lens, and when two or more lenses areincluded, the lenses may be aligned along the center axis to form anoptical system.

In order to distinguish the above-described first and second lens units100 and 400 from the liquid lens 300, the first and second lens units100 and 400 may be referred to as first and second solid lens units.

The liquid lens 300 may be disposed under the first lens unit 100, andthe second lens unit 400 may be disposed under the liquid lens 300. Thatis, the liquid lens 300 may be disposed between the first lens unit 100and the second lens unit 400.

FIG. 2 is a view showing the cross-section of the liquid lens of thecamera module shown in FIG. 1.

Specifically, the liquid lens 300 may include a first plate 310, inwhich a cavity is formed to accommodate a first liquid 350, which isnon-conductive, and a second liquid 340, which is conductive, therein, afirst electrode 355 disposed on the first plate 310, a second electrode345 disposed under the first plate, a second plate 320 disposed on thefirst electrode 355, and a third plate 330 disposed under the secondelectrode 345.

The first plate 310 may be disposed between the second plate 320 and thethird plate 330, and may include upper and lower openings having apredetermined inclined surface (e.g. an inclined surface having an angleof about 50 to 70 degrees, specifically an angle of 55 to 65 degrees).The region surrounded by the aforementioned inclined surface, theopening contacting the second plate 320, and the opening contacting thethird plate 330 may be referred to as a ‘cavity’.

The first plate 310 is a structure that accommodates the first andsecond liquids 350 and 340 therein. Each of the second plate 320 and thethird plate 330 may include a region through which light passes, andthus may be made of a light-transmissive material such as, for example,glass. The second plate 320 and the third plate 330 may be made of thesame material for convenience of processing.

In addition, the first plate 310 may include impurities so that lightdoes not easily pass therethrough.

The second plate 320 is a structure through which light incident thereonfrom the first lens unit 100 travels to the interior of the cavity, andthe third plate 330 is a structure through which the light that haspassed through the cavity travels to the second lens unit 400.

The aforementioned cavity may be filled with the first liquid 350 andthe second liquid 340, which have different properties from each other,and an interface may be formed between the first liquid 350 and thesecond liquid 340. The curvature and the inclination of the interfaceformed between the first liquid 350 and the second liquid 340 may bechanged.

That is, a configuration in which the surface tension of the first andsecond liquids 350 and 340 is changed using electrical energy may reducethe size of a camera module compared to a configuration in which a focallength is adjusted by moving solid lenses (adjusting the distancebetween the lenses), and may consume a small amount of power compared toa configuration in which lenses are mechanically moved using a motor orthe like.

The first liquid 350 may be oil, e.g. phenyl-based silicon oil.

The second liquid 340 may be made of, for example, a mixture of ethyleneglycol and sodium bromide (NaBr).

Each of the first liquid 350 and the second liquid 340 may include atleast one of a sterilizing agent or an antioxidant. The sterilizingagent may be a phenol-based antioxidant or a phosphorus (P)-basedantioxidant. The sterilizing agent may be any one of an alcohol-basedsterilizing agent, an aldehyde-based sterilizing agent, and aphenol-based sterilizing agent.

The first electrode 355 may be spaced apart from the second electrode345, and may be disposed on the upper surface, the side surface, and aportion of the lower surface of the first plate 310. The secondelectrode 345 may be disposed on a portion of the lower surface of thefirst plate 310, and may be in direct contact with the second liquid340.

The side surface of the first plate 310 or the side surface of aninsulation layer 360 may form the inclined surface or the side wall ofthe cavity. The first electrode 355 may be in contact with the firstliquid 350 and the second liquid 340, with the insulation layer 360interposed therebetween, which will be described later. The secondelectrode 345 may be in direct contact with the second liquid 340.

An electrical signal received from an external sensor board 800 may beapplied to the first electrode 355 and the second electrode 345 in orderto control the interface between the first liquid 350 and the secondliquid 340.

The first electrode 355 and the second electrode 345 may be made of aconductive material, e.g. metal, and specifically may include chrome(Cr). Chromium or chrome is a glossy silver rigid transition metal,which is not fragile, does not readily discolor, and has a high meltingpoint.

Further, since an alloy including chromium exhibits high corrosionresistance and rigidity, chromium may be used in the state of beingalloyed with other metals. In particular, since chrome (Cr) is noteasily corroded or discolored, chrome exhibits high resistance to theconductive liquid in the cavity.

The insulation layer 360 may be disposed so as to cover the lowersurface of the second plate 330 on the upper surface of the cavity, thefirst electrode 355 forming the side wall of the cavity, a portion ofthe first electrode 355 on the lower surface of the first plate 310, thefirst plate 310, and the second electrode 345. The insulation layer 360may be implemented as, for example, a parylene C coating agent, and mayfurther include a white dye. The white dye may increase the degree towhich light is reflected by the insulation layer 360 forming the sidewall i of the cavity.

As illustrated, the first liquid 350 may be in surface contact with thesecond plate 320, with the insulation layer 360 interposed therebetween,and the second liquid 340 may be in direct surface contact with thethird plate 330.

The cavity may include a first opening that is oriented toward thesecond plate 320 and a second opening that is oriented toward the thirdplate 330. The cross-sectional size O1 of the first opening may besmaller than the cross-sectional size O2 of the second opening, or viceversa. Here, when each of the first and second openings has a circularcross-section, the size of the openings may refer to a radius thereof,and when each of the openings has a square cross-section, the size ofthe openings may refer to a diagonal length thereof.

Each of the second plate 320 and the third plate 330 may haverectangular edges. However, the disclosure is not limited thereto.

The first electrode 355 may be exposed from at least one region of theedges of the second plate 320, and the second electrode 345 may beexposed from at least one region of the edges of the third plate 330.

In addition, a first connection electrode 356 may be disposed on thefirst electrode 355 in the outer region of the second plate 320, and asecond connection electrode 346 may be disposed on the second electrode345 in the outer region of the third plate 300.

Although not illustrated, a conductive epoxy may be disposed between thefirst electrode 355 and the first connection electrode 356, and may alsobe disposed between the second electrode 345 and the second connectionelectrode 346.

The first connection electrode 356 may be integrally formed with thefirst electrode 355, and the second connection electrode 346 may beintegrally formed with the second electrode 345.

The first connection electrode 356 and the second connection electrode346 may be connected to a terminal plate 390 via a connection board 380,and may be electrically connected to a terminal 810 of a flexible sensorboard 800.

The liquid lens 300 described above may be coupled to a spacer 900 shownin FIGS. 5 to 9, and thus may be easily mounted in and removed from theholder 500 in a modular form. The spacer 900 may have a polygonal planarstructure surrounding the liquid lens 300, and the quadrangular shapemay be, for example, a quadrangular shape. In addition, the spacer 900may have a closed curve structure having an open center region and aquadrangular periphery. The liquid lens 300 coupled to the spacer 900may be stably mounted in the holder 500.

As shown in FIG. 1, the holder 500 may include an open upper portion, anopen lower portion, and a through-hole formed therein. The first lensunit 200, the second lens unit 400, and the liquid lens 300 may bedisposed in the through-hole formed in the holder 500. In detail, thefirst lens unit 100 may be disposed in the upper portion of the holder500 and may be coupled thereto, and the second lens unit 400 may bedisposed in the lower portion of the holder 500 and may be coupledthereto.

The liquid lens 300, the first lens unit 100 disposed on the liquidlens, and the second lens unit 400 disposed under the liquid lens may bedisposed in the holder 500 so as to be fixed thereto. The liquid lens300 may be aligned along the center axis in the same manner as the firstlens unit 100 and the second lens unit 400.

The cover 600 may be disposed so as to surround the first lens 100, thesecond lens 400, the liquid lens 300, and the holder 500. The cover 600and the holder 500 may be disposed on a base 700. The base 700 may beintegrally formed with the holder 500. The holder 500 may act as thebase 700 as needed. In this case, the base 700 may be omitted.

The sensor board 800 may be disposed under the base 700, and may includean image sensor (not shown) and a terminal 810. A light-receivingelement of the image sensor may be provided in the sensor board 800. Thewidth and/or the length of a unit pixel of the image sensor may be, forexample, 2 μm (micrometers) or less.

The terminal 810 may supply current to the first and second electrodes355 and 345 (refer to FIG. 2) of the liquid lens 300 using theconnection board. This will be described below in more detail withreference to the drawings.

FIG. 3 is a view showing one example of electrically bonding theterminal to the connection board in the camera module.

As shown in FIG. 3, first to third regions (region 1 to region 3) may beprovided inside the holder 500. The first lens unit 100 may be insertedinto the first region (region 1), the liquid lens 300 may be disposed inthe second region (region 2), and the second lens unit 400 may bedisposed in the third region (region 3). Here, the first region (region1) may be located on the second region (region 2), and the third region(region 3) may be located under the second region (region 2). Theaforementioned through-hole formed in the holder 500 may include thefirst to third regions (region 1 to region 3).

The second region (region 2) may include an opening, which is formed inthe side surface of the holder 500 so as to be used as an entrancethrough which the liquid lens 300 is inserted into the holder. Thus, theliquid lens 300 may be inserted into the holder 500 through the sideopening formed in the holder 500, and may be accommodated in the secondregion (region 2) of the holder 500.

The liquid lens 300 accommodated in the holder 500 may be electricallyconnected to the terminals 810 of the sensor board 800 using theconnection board 380 a, which is exposed to the outside of the holder500. Here, the connection board 380 a may be, for example, a flexibleprinted circuit board.

The connection board 380 a may include an upper terminal unit includinga plurality of terminals and a lower terminal unit including a pluralityof terminals. The upper terminal unit may be coupled to the first andsecond connection electrodes 356 and 346 of the liquid lens 300, andthus may be connected to the first electrode 355 or the second electrode345. Although it is illustrated in FIG. 3 that the upper terminal unitof the connection board 380 a is connected to the second electrode 345of the liquid lens 300, the upper terminal unit of the connection board380 a may be connected to the first electrode 355. Alternatively, theupper terminal unit of the connection board 380 a may be integrated withfirst and second connection electrodes 380-1 and 380-2 so as to beconnected to the first electrode 355 or the second electrode 345 of theliquid lens 300.

Meanwhile, the connection board 380 a is formed so as to be bent fromthe horizontal direction of the liquid lens 300 to the verticaldirection thereof such that the lower terminal unit is bonded to theterminal 810 of the sensor board 800.

However, if a manufacturing tolerance of the connection board 380 aoccurs, for example, when the length of the connection board 380 abecomes shorter or longer than a reference value, it may be difficult torealize bonding to the terminal 810 of the sensor board 800.

In addition, if an error occurs in the gap in the process of couplingthe holder 500, in which the liquid lens 300 is accommodated, to thebase 700, it may also be difficult to realize bonding between theconnection board 380 a and the terminal 810 of the sensor board 800.

Therefore, it is required to more conveniently realize the electricalconnection between the liquid lens 300 and the sensor board 800 withoutbeing influenced by a manufacturing tolerance of the connection board380 a or the coupling gap between the holder 500 and the base 700.

FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view showing the process of couplingthe connection board to the terminal plate shown in FIG. 1.

Unlike the above-described configuration, the embodiment may beconfigured such that the connection board 380 and the terminal plate 390are provided separately from each other.

The connection board 380 may be disposed so as to be connected to thefirst electrode 355 or the second electrode 345 of the liquid lens 300.The connection board 380 may be, for example, a flexible printed circuitboard.

The connection board 380 may include an upper terminal unit including aplurality of terminals and a lower terminal unit including a pluralityof terminals. The upper terminal unit may be coupled to the first andsecond connection electrodes 356 and 346 of the liquid lens 300, andthus may be connected to the first electrode 355 or the second electrode345. The upper terminal unit of the connection board 380 may beintegrated with first and second connection electrodes 380-1 and 380-2so as to be connected to the first electrode 355 or the second electrode345 of the liquid lens 300. The lower terminal unit of the connectionboard 380 may be electrically connected to the terminal plate 390, whichwill be described later.

The connection board 380 may include a horizontal plate 381, which iscoupled to the first electrode 355 or the second electrode 345, and avertical plate 382, which is bent from the horizontal plate 381 and iscoupled to the terminal plate 390. The above-described upper terminalunit may be included in the horizontal plate 381, and the lower terminalunit may be included in the vertical plate 382.

For example, the horizontal plate 381 may have a rectangular band shapeso as to be in close contact with the first electrode 355 or the secondelectrode 345 of the liquid lens 300. The horizontal plate 381 may havea predetermined length such that the outer side thereof is exposed tothe outside of the holder.

The vertical plate 382 may be formed so as to extend from the outer sideof the horizontal plate 381 and to be bent downwards. For example, thevertical plate 382 may have a band shape having a length longer than thelength of the horizontal plate 381.

The lower region of the vertical plate 382 may cover the outer side ofthe terminal plate 390 so as to realize electrical bonding. Thus, thevertical plate 382 may have a vertical length so that the vertical plate382 may cover at least the upper region of the terminal plate 390. Forexample, the vertical plate 382 may be electrically bonded to theterminal plate 390, so long as the length of the vertical plate 382 isset such that the end of the vertical plate 382 is located between theupper region of the terminal plate 390 and the lower region thereof.That is, the electrical bonding between the connection board 380 and theterminal plate 390 may not be greatly affected by a manufacturingtolerance of the connection board 380.

The vertical plate 382 may have a width smaller than the width of theterminal plate 390. Since the lower end portion of the vertical plate382 is electrically bonded to the terminal plate 390, the connectionboard 380 and the terminal plate 390 may be provided separately fromeach other, thereby preventing the connection board 380 from beingformed to be larger than necessary.

The connection board 380 described above may have a concave portion 383,which is recessed in the bent region between the horizontal plate 381and the vertical plate 382. Due to the concave portion 383 formed at theconnection board 380, the vertical plate 382 may be easily bent in thevertical direction from the horizontal plate 381, and the bent regionbetween the horizontal plate 381 and the vertical plate 382 may beprevented from being damaged by stress.

For example, the concave portion 383 may have a semicircular shape inwhich the side surface of the connection portion between the horizontalplate 381 and the vertical plate 382 is recessed in order to dispersethe stress. The concave portion 383 may be formed at each of oppositesides of the bent region of the connection board 380 in order to furtherfacilitate the bending and to evenly disperse the stress.

The concave portion 383 may be formed in any of various shapes, such asa U shape, a V shape, and a 90-degree rotated U shape, without beinglimited to the aforementioned shape, and may be disposed at only oneside of the bent region.

The terminal plate 390 may include a conductive metal material and maybe coupled to the base 700. For example, the terminal plate 390 may aheight extending from the terminal 810 of the sensor board 800 to theupper portion of the base 700 and may be coupled to the side surface ofthe base 700. Thus, the lower region of the terminal plate 390 may beeasily bonded to the terminal 810 of the sensor board 800 using a solderball 820 or the like regardless of the connection board 380.

As such, a portion of the terminal plate 390 (a portion from the upperregion to the lower region) may be coupled to the lower portion of theconnection board 380, and another portion of the terminal plate 390 (thelower region) may be coupled to the terminal 810 of the sensor board800.

Here, at least one of the two following methods may be used for theelectrical connection between the terminal plate 390 and the connectionboard 380 described above.

For example, as indicated by “A” in FIG. 4, electrical bonding may beapplied to the region at which the outer side of the terminal plate 390and the inner side of the vertical plate 382 of the connection board 380contact each other. As indicated by “B” in FIG. 4, electrical bondingmay be applied to the outer side of the region at which the end portionof the terminal plate 390 and the end portion of the vertical plate 382contact each other.

Here, the bonding may be realized using any of various electricalconnection methods such as soldering and a solder ball.

As described above, in the camera module including the liquid lens andthe optical device according to the embodiments, since the connectionboard and the terminal plate are electrically coupled to each other, theelectrical connection between the liquid lens and the sensor board maybe more conveniently realized without being influenced by amanufacturing tolerance of the connection board or the coupling gapbetween the holder and the base.

FIGS. 5 to 7 are front views showing the coupled state of the connectionboard and the terminal plate according to a second example, a thirdexample, and a fourth example of the camera module, and FIG. 8 is across-sectional view showing an example of the liquid lens in the cameramodule shown in FIG. 1.

The connection boards 380, 380 a, 380 b and 380 c may be formed in anyof various forms, as shown in the second to fourth examples.

The connection board 380 a shown in FIG. 5 may include a V recess 382a-1 recessed in the end portion of the vertical plate 382 a. The Vrecess 382 a-1 may lead to an increase in the length of the sidedefining the end portion of the vertical plate 382 a, thus expanding theregion that is bonded to the terminal plate 390. The bonding force maybe increased and the bonding process may be realized easily andconveniently due to the expansion of the bonding region.

The connection board 380 b shown in FIG. 6 may include a semicircularrecess 382 b-1 recessed in the end portion of the vertical plate 382 b.The semicircular recess 382 b-1 may lead to an increase in the length ofthe side defining the end portion of the vertical plate 382 b, thusexpanding the region that is bonded to the terminal plate 390. Thebonding force may be increased and the bonding process may be realizedeasily and conveniently due to the expansion of the bonding region. Thesemicircular recess may be more effective in terms of dispersion ofstress.

The connection board 380 c shown in FIG. 7 may include a through-hole382 c-1 formed in the end portion of the vertical plate 382 c. Thethough-hole 382 c-1 may be formed in any of various shapes such as acircle, an oval, a quadrangle, and a rectangle. The through-hole 382 c-1may lead to an increase in the length of the region around thethrough-hole 382 c-1 in the end portion of the vertical plate 382 c,thus expanding the bonding region, with the result that the bondingforce may be increased and the bonding process may be realized easilyand conveniently.

FIGS. 8 and 9 are views showing examples of the connection boardincluding a lifting prevention portion.

As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the connection board 380-1 and 380-2 mayinclude a horizontal plate 381-1 and 381-2, which is coupled to thefirst electrode 356 (refer to FIG. 2) or the second electrode 346 (referto FIG. 2) of the liquid lens 300, and a vertical plate 382-1 and 382-2,which is bent from the horizontal plate 381-1 and 381-2. Here, theconnection board 380-1 and 380-2 may be coupled to the liquid lens 300to form the first electrode 380-1 and the second electrode 380-2.

FIG. 8 shows the connection board 380-1, which is coupled to the firstelectrode (the upper electrode) of the liquid lens 300 or forms thefirst electrode, and FIG. 9 shows the connection board 380-2, which iscoupled to the second electrode (the lower electrode) of the liquid lens300 or forms the second electrode.

The connection board 380-1 and 380-2 may be a flexible printed circuitboard (FPCB) or a metal plate. For example, the connection board 380-1shown in FIG. 8 may be a flexible printed circuit board (FPCB), and theconnection board 380-2 shown in FIG. 9 may be a metal plate.

The above-described connection board 380-1 and 380-2 may be connected tothe electrode of the liquid lens 300, and may be bent downwards so as tobe coupled to the terminal plate 390 (refer to FIGS. 4 to 7) and to beelectrically bonded to the terminal 810 (refer to FIGS. 4 to 7).

However, when a general connection board is bent, it may lift upwards ordownwards from an electrode due to the stiffness thereof. This liftingphenomenon may cause an unstable connection to the electrode, resultingin a defect.

Therefore, the embodiment may include a lifting prevention portion forpreventing the connection board 380-1 and 380-2, which is connected tothe electrode, from lifting upwards or downwards. The lifting preventionportion may include a reinforcing pad 385-1, 385-2, 384-1 and 384-2,which is coupled to at least one of the horizontal plate 381-1 and 381-2or the vertical plate 382-1 and 382-2 of the connection board 380-1 and380-2, rather than to the bent region of the connection board 380-1 and380-2.

In the embodiments shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the reinforcing pad 385-1,385-2, 384-1 and 384-2 is coupled to each of the horizontal plate 381-1and 381-2 and the vertical plate 382-1 and 382-2 of the connection board380-1 and 380-2. However, the reinforcing pad 385-1, 385-2, 384-1 and384-2 may be selectively coupled to the horizontal plate 381-1 and 381-2or the vertical plate 382-1 and 382-2 of the connection board 380-1 and380-2.

The reinforcing pad 385-1, 385-2, 384-1 and 384-2 may be coupled to thelower side of the horizontal plate 381-1 and 381-2 or to the inner sideof the vertical plate 382-1 and 382-2 of the connection board 380-1 and380-2, rather than to the bent region of the connection board 380-1 and380-2. The region of the connection board 380-1 and 380-2, to which thereinforcing pad 385-1, 385-2, 384-1 and 384-2 is coupled, has stiffnessgreater than the stiffness of the bent region of the connection board380-1 and 380-2, and thus is not easily deformed, thereby preventing thelifting of the connection board 380-1 and 380-2 that is connected to theelectrode and is formed so as to be bent.

For example, the reinforcing pad 385-1, 385-2, 384-1 and 384-2 may havea shape and an area corresponding to the width of the horizontal plate381-1 and 381-2 or the width of the vertical plate 382-1 and 382-2. Thereinforcing pad 385-1, 385-2, 384-1 and 384-2 may have a thickness of0.05 to 0.1 cm.

In addition, like the embodiments described above, the connection boardmay further include a concave portion 383-1 and 383-2 recessed in thebent region between the horizontal plate 381-1 and 381-2 and thevertical plate 382-1 and 382-2. The concave portion 383-1 and 383-2 maydecrease the stiffness of the bent region, thereby facilitating theprocess of bending the connection board and preventing lifting of theconnection board connected to the electrode. The effects may be furtherenhanced in the case in which the connection board is a metal plate.

As described above, in the camera module including the liquid lens andthe optical device according to the embodiments, since the connectionboard and the terminal plate are electrically coupled to each other, theelectrical connection between the liquid lens and the sensor board maybe more conveniently realized without being influenced by amanufacturing tolerance of the connection board or the coupling gapbetween the holder and the base.

In addition, the concave portion may cause the connection board to bemore easily bent and conveniently bonded to the terminal plate and to beprevented from being damaged by stress. In addition, the liftingprevention portion provided at the connection board may prevent theconnection board, connected to the electrode, from lifting upwards ordownwards.

The camera module including the above-described liquid lens may bemounted in various digital devices, such as a digital camera, asmartphone, a laptop computer, and a tablet PC. In particular, thecamera module may be mounted in mobile devices to realize an ultra-thinhigh-performance zoom lens.

For example, a display device, in which the camera module, including theliquid lens, the first and second lens units, the filter, and thelight-receiving element, converts an image incident from the outsideinto an electrical signal, may include a display module including aplurality of pixels, the colors of which are changed by the electricalsignal. The display module and the camera module may be controlled by acontrol unit.

While the present disclosure has been particularly shown and describedwith reference to exemplary embodiments thereof, these embodiments areonly proposed for illustrative purposes and do not restrict the presentdisclosure, and it will be apparent to those skilled in the art thatvarious changes in form and detail may be made without departing fromthe essential characteristics of the embodiments set forth herein. Forexample, respective configurations set forth in the embodiments may bemodified and applied. Further, differences in such modifications andapplications should be construed as falling within the scope of thepresent disclosure as defined by the appended claims.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

A camera module including a liquid lens according to the embodiment maybe used in mobile devices.

1. A camera module, comprising: a liquid lens comprising an electrode; aholder accommodating the liquid lens herein; a base disposed under theholder; a sensor hoard disposed under the base, the sensor boardcomprising an image sensor; a connection board connected to at least aportion of the electrode of the liquid lens; and a terminal platedisposed at the base, the terminal plate being electrically connected tothe sensor board and the connection board.
 2. The camera moduleaccording to claim 1, wherein the liquid lens comprises: a first platecomprising a cavity formed therein to accommodate a first liquid, whichis conductive, and a second liquid, which is non-conductive, therein; asecond plate disposed on the first plate; and a third plate disposedunder the first plate, and wherein the electrode comprises: a firstelectrode disposed on the first plate; and a second electrode disposedunder the first plate.
 3. The camera module according to claim 2,wherein the connection board is disposed so as to be electricallyconnected to the first electrode or the second electrode of the liquidlens, and wherein one side of the terminal plate is coupled to a lowerportion of the connection board, and an opposite side of the terminalplate is coupled to the sensor board.
 4. The camera module according toclaim 3, wherein the connection board comprises: a horizontal platedisposed at a position corresponding to the first electrode or thesecond electrode; a vertical plate configured to be electrically coupledto the terminal plate, the vertical plate being disposed at a positioncorresponding to a side surface of the liquid lens; and a connectionplate disposed between the horizontal plate and the vertical plate. 5.The camera module according to claim 4, wherein the connection platecomprises a bent region and connects the horizontal plate and thevertical plate to each other, and wherein the connection board furthercomprises a concave portion recessed in the bent region.
 6. The cameramodule according to claim 4, wherein a width of the connection boardgradually decreases from the horizontal plate to the vertical plate. 7.The camera module according to claim 5, wherein the concave portion isdisposed at each of opposite sides of the bent region.
 8. The cameramodule according to claim 4, wherein the vertical plate has a widthsmaller than a width of the terminal plate, and has a vertical length tocover at least a portion of an upper region of the terminal plate.
 9. Acamera module, comprising: a liquid lens comprising an electrode; aholder accommodating the liquid lens therein; a sensor board disposedunder the holder, the sensor board comprising an image sensor and aterminal; and a connection board connected to the electrode of theliquid lens, the connection board being bent downwards so as to beelectrically connected to the terminal of the sensor board, wherein theconnection board comprises: a horizontal plate disposed at a positioncorresponding to the electrode of the liquid lens; a vertical platedisposed at a position corresponding to a side surface of the liquidlens; a connection plate bent between the horizontal plate and thevertical plate; and a reinforcing pad disposed on at least one of thehorizontal plate or the vertical plate, the reinforcing pad havingstiffness greater than stiffness of the connection plate.
 10. The cameramodule according to claim 9, wherein the reinforcing pad is coupled to alower portion of the horizontal plate or to an inner side of thevertical plate.
 11. The camera module according to claim 3, comprising asolder ball bonding a lower region of the opposite side of the terminalplate to the sensor board.
 12. The camera module according to claim 3,wherein the terminal plate has a height extending from a terminal of thesensor board to an upper portion of the base.
 13. The camera moduleaccording to claim 12, wherein the terminal plate is coupled to a sidesurface of the base.
 14. The camera module according to claim 4, whereinthe vertical plate has a length longer than a length of the horizontalplate.
 15. The camera module according to claim 4, wherein theconnection board includes a V recess recessed inward at an end portionof the vertical plate.
 16. The camera module according to claim 4,wherein the connection board includes a semicircular recess recessedinward at an end portion of the vertical plate.
 17. The camera moduleaccording to claim 4, wherein the connection board includes athrough-hole formed at an end portion of the vertical plate.
 18. Thecamera module according to claim 5, wherein the concave portion has asemicircular shape in which a side surface of the connection portionbetween the horizontal plate and the vertical plate is recessed.
 19. Thecamera module according to claim 9, wherein the reinforcing pad iscoupled to a lower portion of the horizontal plate, rather than to abent region of the connection board.
 20. The camera module according toclaim 9, wherein the reinforcing pad is coupled to an inner side of thevertical plate of the connection board, rather than to a bent region ofthe connection board.